


You coming, Castle?

by Pegship



Series: Castle Episodic [10]
Category: Castle
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Battle Injuries, Episode: s04e23 Always, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 12:11:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19887541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pegship/pseuds/Pegship
Summary: Kate's desire for Rick is stymied by the pain of her injuries from the rooftop fight. Rick is a thoughtful caregiver.





	You coming, Castle?

Kate lies back on the bed, on his bed, and Rick follows her down, not quite kissing her, still looking as though he doesn't believe she's here. On his bed. Soaked to the bone, and aching in every joint. Hungry for more of his mouth, his hands.

When he lays his mouth on hers, this time, it's soft and inquisitive, unhurried, and she's content to respond rather than initiate. At least with her lips; her fingers stroke his cheek one more time and then trail down to find the buttons on his shirt. About halfway down, she feels his weight shift to one side as he stretches out beside her, one arm slipping under the back of her neck. His other hand mirrors on her clothes what she's doing with his shirt, starting where he left off when he caught sight of her scar.

Delicately he lays her shirt open, lowers his head to press kisses to her throat, his hand sliding to lie on her stomach. Against her chilled skin his palm is like a warm blanket, and she wants that heat touching her everywhere.

Kate brings her arm up to curl around his neck and bends a leg to hook it over his thigh. Or intends to - as soon as she tries to roll into him, her shoulder and knee both seize up and she can't swallow the sharp hiss of pain that comes out of her throat.

Of course, immediately, Rick's head comes up and he focuses on her face.

"Kate," he murmurs, "what is it?"

"There was a...fight," she says, feeling more tears filling her eyes. She feels cheated, as if the universe were still trying to keep her at arm's length from Rick. Then she reminds herself that their distance is her own doing, and she goes on. "The sniper. We fought, on a rooftop - he got away and I nearly fell off the edge."

It's an incomplete summary, but it's all Rick seems to need. His eyes roam over her form, not with desire but with concern.

"Where does it hurt?"

She doesn't want to think about that; she leans up to recapture his mouth, and realizes that he's scooping her up in his arms even as they're joined at the lips.

"Castle - "

"Shh," he tells her and goes back to kissing her. They're moving toward the bathroom, into the bathroom; he taps a contact on the wall and the lights come up low. Enough for him to find a padded bench, set her carefully down on it, and kneel before her.

He works her boots off, then her jacket, as she finds that her shoulders don't want to rotate in order to take it off. She finishes unbuttoning her shirt, then the button on her jeans, but she lets him do the rest. Neither of them speaks until Rick uncovers the broad bruise forming on her thigh, down as far as her knee where she'd landed at some point.

"Kate," he says, frowning. "Are you sure nothing's broken?"

She nods. "Nothing broken or dislocated. Nothing bleeding. Just - sore."

He looks up at her, her pain reflected in his blue eyes. She reaches for his open shirt and leans in for a kiss. Only a moment later, he's moved away, over to the sybaritic bathtub, starting the water to fill it. She watches him add a handful of something like bath salts to the hot water, and a delicate scent of eucalyptus starts to fill the room.

"I love that smell," she tells him.

"'Sposed to be soothing," says Castle, suddenly hesitant. "Shall I - do you want me to - "

He's looking from her to the door. It takes a moment for her to catch on.

"Don't go," she says, taking hold of his shirt tail. "You don't have to go," she amends. It's his house, after all. He can do what he wants.

He gives her a soft smile; what he wants and what she wants are apparently the same thing. Through her pain and injuries she feels a current of desire.

Still holding onto his shirt, she stands slowly, feeling that her joints might actually creak. His lips part to say something, and she forestalls his words by lifting her lips to his. As their kiss deepens, Kate tugs on his sleeves; he slips the shirt off, drops it on the counter without looking and brings his hands up to lie lightly on her shoulders.

"Need help with this?" he murmurs against her mouth, running his thumbs under the straps of her bra.

"Yes," she breathes, "please."

Rick pulls the straps down her arms, then reaches around to unclasp the bra. She lets it fall where it may and reaches for his belt, unbuckling it and looking up to see that his momentary uncertainty is completely gone. His expression is one of - not longing or sorrow, as she's seen all too often, but anticipation, trust.

Promise.

Once his belt and pants are unfastened, he takes over and pushes them off, along with his socks, leaving him in black satin boxers. They're even now, she in her panties and he in shorts, and his hands stroke down her back, just to the edge of her panties, fingertips flirting with the elastic.

"Together?" She smiles up at him, he smiles back, an expression of delight without a trace of a smirk. Together they each push each other's underwear down, let it slip to the floor, and just as Kate's about to step out of hers, Rick's hand cups her ass firmly and pulls her against him, nothing but skin now.

He catches his breath, and the next moment they're fused together at the mouth again. Kate feels like she could just stay there, but a few minutes later Rick makes a sound of alarm and releases her to turn off the water in the tub.

"In you go," he says, matter-of-factly, as though they weren't both naked in front of each other for the first time, her bruises and his arousal a strange contrast. He takes her hand as she carefully steps into the tub, hovers as she sinks down to sit, immersed to just above her breasts.

He grabs a couple of towels, hangs them on a rack to warm, then turns back and looks down at her with a question in his eyes.

Kate holds out her hand and says, "You coming, Castle?"


End file.
